Retro Revengers [Review]

Retro Revengers, published by Shinyuden and developed by Happymean Inc and Undercoders is a classic platformer in the vein of Mega Man with a little pinch of Monster Boy. This game has a very over-the-top storyline about a bunch of loser Otaku that all gain powers from characters they made up when they were children. These Otaku get sucked into the world of a video game, with the end goal being to defeat the Demon Overlord of Triple-A. This game is a huge metaphor for the gaming industry as a whole and uses fourth-wall-breaking and meta dialogue as a way to share the message. Strangely enough, this game is pretty funny and cringe-worthy all at the same time. Also the easter eggs are pretty great! Fans of Konosuba Will get a kick out of the Goddess.

The gameplay flawlessly emulates the look, sound, and feeling of a game made before 1995. That being said, the levels can be rage-inducing if you're not a seasoned platform or Mega Man fan. Something worth noting is that the music was composed by Manami Matsumae, the composer behind the classics Mega Man and Shovel Knight. The soundtrack in this game is a huge highlight.

Each character plays completely different from each other. The abilities the characters have ranged from a Homing Fire Ball to Power Poots. The levels also change to revolve around the character meant for the level. Like having grappling hook spots for the character with a grapple to grab onto. However, you can change characters on the level. So, if there’s a character you have trouble using like I struggled with, you can change to another.

I have to say this game is one of my favorite games to release this year. Retro Revengers is available for the Nintendo Switch, and PC for 9.99